Protestant Reform Movements - Coursework Example

Protestant Reform Movements April 06, Protestant Reform Movements Introduction The 16th century Europe experienced significant changes. One of such changes was the rise of the protestant reformation. In this period, there was only the Roman Catholic Church under the guidance of Pope.1 In this period, the church was immensely powerful in the region both politically and spiritually. However, the period also saw the rise of radical political forces outside the church. Example of such forces included the Holy Roman Empire, the Italian city-states, and England.2 The rulers that dominated these areas had increasing discontent with the authority of the church. Therefore, they were eager to seize the opportunity presented by reformation to reduce the power of the papacy and increase their own power in relation to church in Rome.3 One of the people that were instrumental in the rise of reformation was Martin Luther. His action began by posting controversial 95 theses on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.4 The theses were an expression of his concern over the practices of the church in the era.5 The focus was largely on the sale of indulgences and most of the church doctrines.6 Initially, the church did not focus on his assertions. However, it became a point of concern once Luther ideas spread to various countries of Europe. The church prevailed on Luther to withdraw his writings at the Diet of Worms.7 The refusal led to his expulsion from the church. This was a period of the rise of the Church in countering the ideas of reformation. An overview of Lutheran, Zwingli/Anabaptist, reformed (Calvin), and English will help in gaining insight on the reform movement. Lutheran Lutheran was one of the significant reform movements in the period. Martin Luther led the movement. The movement has various theological points that guide its practices. These points were authored by Luther and have gained acceptance from many other protestant groups.8 The movement had its own theological understanding and belief. First, the movement believed that faith leads to salvation through the grace of God.9 He believed Gods grace was essential for the person to secure the internal salvation. Such faith was not tied to being a member of the church. The other belief is on forgiveness. The Lutherans believed that forgiveness cannot be purchased but a gift of God’s mercy.10 Luther went against the sale of indulgences and the other superstitions of the medieval church because he noted they had no basis on the word of God.11 The movement also questioned the authority of priesthood and beliefs that it should not be considered as the only representation of true spiritual estate. The reform movement was faced by excommunication from church when it failed to renounce its doctrines.12 This was evident as Luther was removed from the Catholic Church. Zwingli/Anabaptist The Anabaptism was also significant movement in the reformation period. The author of the movement was Zwingli. He concluded that the teaching and practices of the Catholic Church were going against the basic tenet of the bible.13 There are several theological points of this movement. First, the followers believed that Christ was only present in spirits. They viewed the sacrament as having no grace in individual life and acted just as a memorial service.14 The movement was also opposed to a child being baptized and viewed baptism as only required of adults and hence called for rebaptism of believers.15 There was also a belief that eventual power in the church fit in in the local population of faithful.16 The group also believed that personal instinct was essential in choosing church membership. The reform movement was faced by various challenges. However, the most common of the challenges was imprisonment and persecution of the followers as it was perceived as a threat to church officials, nobles, and merchants.17 There was also an increase of refugees fleeing to other tolerant areas of Europe such as France. Reformed (Calvin) The other reformed movement was Calvinism. John Calvin instituted the movement.18 The reform movement had unique theological ideas. The ideas revolved on the absolute and supremacy of God.19 He believed that man was sinful and could only come close to God through faith in Christ.20 He believed that the New Testament, baptism and Eucharist played a significant role in man interaction with God. This provided man with continued divine guidance when seeking faith.21 He also viewed corrupt man as faced by powerful and ever-present God who determined the fate of man before the creation of world.22 According to him, some were destined for eternal salvation while others would suffer everlasting condemnation. Those destined for eternal salvation were saved through divine grace that could not be challenged nor be earned by man merit.23 However, those condemned had a chance to redeem through an inner conviction of salvation. The focus on predestination has been the basic tenet of Calvinism. The movement attracted a large groups of followers. It was also influential in leading countries of Europe such as Holland, France, and England. English (John Knox) The other significant movement was on Scotland. John Knox led the movement.24 He believed that various images and pictures were, not to the glorification of God.25 Hence, most of them were removed from the church. He also believed the church was only to do what was outlined in the bible and not what the church thought was right.26 Several events took place during this reformation. First, there was condemnation of images and pictures in the church environment, as they were perceived as being ungodly. There was also simplification of worship, evangelism, and care for the poor.27 There was also promotion of education was promoted to ensure that most of the people could read the bible.28 Moreover, public worship was based on reading, preaching and singing from God’s word.29 Conclusion It is clear the protestant reform movement were significant in 16th century Europe. The movements led to the split of the Roman Catholic Church and the emergence of several churches. Most of these churches have remained relevant until today. The church emerged due to believes held by reform leaders such as Martin Luther, Zwingli, John Calvin, and John Knox. Each leader had his beliefs. The reforms movements were faced by various challenges in the period. Some of the challenges involved in the movement were condemnation, excommunication, imprisonment, and persecution. However, it is clear the leaders emerged triumphant as there were significant reforms in the beliefs and practices. Bibliography Bishop, Paul. “Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation.” Hccfl.edu. Accessed April 06, 2014. http://www.hccfl.edu/media/173616/ee2luther.pdf. Gordon, Ronald. “Anabaptism in 16th Century Europe.” Cob-net.org. Published April 1998. http://www.cob-net.org/anabaptism.htm. History Learning Site. “John Calvin.” Historylearningsite.co.uk. Accessed April 06, 2014. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/John_Calvin.htm. Potter, Philip. Monarchs of the Renaissance. London: McFarland, 2012. Reformation and Revival. “Three Principles of Protestantism.” A Quarterly Journal for Church Leadership 1, no.1 (1992): 13-27.  Spielvogel, Jackson. Western Civilization: A Brief History. New York: Cengage Learning, 2010. The Reformed Presbyterian Church. “John Knox.” Reformationhistory.org. Accessed April 06, 2014. http://reformationhistory.org/johnknox.html. Zucker, Steven & Harris, Beth. “An Introduction to the Protestant Reformation.” Khanacademy.org. Accessed April 06, 2014. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/history/1500-1600-Renaissance. Read More